Gourmet Burger Kitchen has announced it is to close 17 branches after running up losses of millions of pounds.

GBK operates around 80 stores including branches in Westfield Stratford, Tower Bridge, Canary Wharf and Spitalfields and employs 2,000 people.

The group, owned by South Africa’s Famous Brands, has announced plans for a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA), an insolvency procedure which allows struggling firms to dump unprofitable stores.

The company said earlier this month that it faces losses of £47.2 million due to the brand’s sustained under-performance.

Creditors will vote on the proposed closures at a meeting on November 9. All restaurants will continue trading in the meantime

Around 250 job will be lost by the branch closures.